A solo exhibition by local artist Justin Chiang Chin Pang entitled “We Are Not Food” is being held at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery, with the artist hoping to evoke empathy for animals through his paintings.
The free-admission exhibition, which showcases 18 acrylics and marks the artist’s 9th solo exhibition, kicked off on Tuesday and is on until Saturday.
Chiang, a graduate from the Macau Polytechnic University’s (MPU) Faculty of Arts and Design who has had several of his works showcased locally and internationally, told the Post after the ceremony that he had held an exhibition 10 years ago entitled “I’m Not Food” at the gallery. That exhibition tackled the same topic, though the art style was quite different, which was cartoon-like and included animal characters wearing different costumes, according to Chiang.
The artist said that this time he wants to deliver a more direct message using real animals to show that one should protect animals, adding that although people need to eat meat in their daily lives, he thinks that people can lessen their consumption of meat as they don’t need to eat so much. Chiang added that he hopes to arouse more interest among people to ponder on this issue through the exhibition.
The paintings on display, which took around 6 months to create, feature various species of edible fauna such as cows, pigs and fish, along with supposedly inedible ones including elephants and bees.*
In a statement provided by the gallery during the ceremony, Chiang was quoted as pointing out that the exhibition is a very personal one and focuses on reducing animal suffering, presenting his concerns and reflections on the issue to exhibition-goers.
“Through this exhibition, I hope to raise awareness among viewers and collectively strive to minimise harm to animals, forging a more harmonious future in our relationship with them. May this exhibition serve as a catalyst for change, prompting us to reevaluate the treatment of animals as mere commodities”, he said in the statement.
The gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. More details are available on the foundation’s website on https://ruicunha.org/frc/
*Bees are considered a delicacy in some cultures. Elephant meat is primarily consumed in Africa. - Source: Quora
Local artist Justin Chiang Chin Pang delivers a speech at the Rui Cunha Foundation gallery on Tuesday. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
